


Ethan & Tyler

by ohgirl2365



Series: He’s got the world on a string [2]
Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:08:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28703394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohgirl2365/pseuds/ohgirl2365
Summary: These chapters are flashbacks of major events that I found to be "milestones" for Tyler and Ethan, before they get engaged :) Some will follow Pixelberry's main themes, some will be completely my work. They will be told mostly from Ethan's point of view, as his character is so interesting to me.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Series: He’s got the world on a string [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2060325
Kudos: 6





	1. I go blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan has his first encounter outside of the hospital with Tyler at Donahue's.

It was a long, tiring few days at Edenbrook for Ethan Ramsey. The days were always long, when the new interns started. Ethan dreaded this time of the year more than anything in the world. He walked thru the doors at Donahue’s, took his usual seat, and ordered his usual drink: a scotch, neat. 

When he hangs out at Donahue’s, Ethan prefers to drink alone. The only company he appreciates is Reggie, his bartender-turned-friend. Reggie knows more about Ethan than most people at Edenbrook. Ethan likes it this way. 

“Long day, Dr. Ramsey?”   
Speaking of Reggie. 

“Eh, yeah. The new interns started yesterday, and I’m not particularly fond of having to go through their antics with them.”

Ethan closes his eyes and brings the glass of scotch to his lips, savoring the taste.

“This always makes me feel better, though,” he adds dryly, as he sets the empty glass down on the counter. Scotch was one of his best friends. Ethan found people annoying, for the most part. He hasn't had a relationship since he broke things off with Harper last year. He preferred to be alone, and doubted he would ever settle down with a particular woman. But deep, deep down inside of him, he secretly hoped he would.  
  
Reggie laughs and grabs the glass, walking it over to the sink.

Ethan sits back in his chair and starts to relax, trying to forget the events of the past two days - the eager eyed interns, near-death experiences, lawsuits waiting to happen. 

In the corner of his eye, he spots a familiar figure. Except, she wasn’t wearing scrubs. Wearing extremely short denim shorts showing off her long lean legs and a green crop top exposing her toned midriff, her red curly hair down as opposed to back in a messy ponytail, and a face full of tasteful makeup, she looked almost unrecognizable. She had a drink in her hand, talking to a group of interns. Ethan recognized the faces of a few of them, but he couldn't remember their names. Someone must have said something funny, since she threw her head back in laughter, causing her long red curls to cascade down her back. 

It was Dr. Bracken, the intern who had almost killed 2 patients in the last 2 days. The one intern who has already been under his skin more than any other.

Ethan couldn’t help but stare. 

Tyler had this indescribable aura about her - something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He picked up on it at the vending machine yesterday, and he definitely felt it right here. 

Ethan did know, however, that Tyler looked absolutely stunning in that outfit, and he could feel something growing in the crotch of his pants. His cheeks and ears flushed red, and he closes his eyes, almost annoyed that this was happening to him. Thankful that there was no one around to see it, he orders another scotch from Reggie to try to shake whatever this was.

 _What the hell is happening right now?_ Ethan wonders, still not able to take his gaze off of her.

She had moved over to the jukebox with one of the interns. _Why am I staring at an intern, and why is she giving me an erection? She’s not even in my general vicinity! I’m Ethan Ramsey, I don’t even regard most interns as real humans 99% of the time. Maybe I should go to the men’s room and splash cold water on my fa—_

Suddenly, Tyler walks in his direction. Ethan faces forward, so the bulge in the front of his pants would be concealed under the bar. He even goes as far as to grab a napkin and spread it there, even though there was no food in sight. 

_What am I, in high school again?_ Ethan chastises himself internally. He tries to act normal as she gets closer.

Her closer proximity does not help the situation unfolding in his pants. She looks even more beautiful close up. And whatever perfume she was wearing...mixed with the various scents of the bar - alcohol, sweat, fried food, the faint smell of cigarettes - it was intoxicating in itself. Tyler takes the stool closest to him, but doesn’t face him.

Ethan tries to act normal.

Her clear, feminine voice breaks the silence.

“Something wrong, Dr. Ramsey?” She turns and flashes him an innocent smile.

He braces himself to look into her eyes. Clearly, she has some sort of magnetic pull over him, something he has never felt in his 37 years of existence.

“Just noticing how…different you look out into the real world.”

He smiles a very Ethan like smile, very curt, and finishes off the 2nd scotch that Reggie brought him at some point during his daydreaming. 

Reggie approaches Tyler to get her order.

“What’ll it be?”

Ethan notices that Tyler is eyeing his empty glass, probably trying to figure out what to order for him. He can see the gears turning in her head as she tries to guess. He found this very amusing. 

“We’ll have two….scotches, neat. Please.”

Reggie sits two of them in front of Tyler. She casually slides one over to Ethan. His jaw is practically on the floor. He manages to take it, and smiles with approval as he sniffs it.

“Why neat instead of on the rocks?”

“The ice changes the flavor.”

With those five words, Ethan confirmed that there definitely was something special about this girl.

“Right answer.” He says, with a genuine smile. “But, you know I can’t be bribed into favoring you, right?”

Tyler puts both elbows on the bar and slides forward, making her cleavage show. 

Ethan is almost sure that she did that on purpose, but he tries to avoid looking down there anyway. 

Didn’t work.

The bulge in his pants shifts again.

She puts her head onto her hand, and smiles back.  
“I think you already do.”

“You keep believing that, rookie.”

He downs the drink in one gulp, and then signals Reggie.  
“Two specials, please.”

“Only for you, Ethan.”  
Reggie starts to prepare the drinks. 

“You’re on a first name basis with the bartender?” Tyler quips, playing with her hair. 

_Jesus. Is she trying to kill me?_

Trying his hardest to stay as distant as he can, he replies, “Reggie is an old friend. I come here most nights.”   
He still has to face forward to maintain his composure.

“You don’t have anyone waiting at home?”

Ethan doesn’t say anything for a moment.

“I’ll come here even when I do. I need some buffer between the hospital and the world. An airlock.”His eyes dart over to meet hers. 

“Don’t take the job home with you, Tyler.”

“I’ll keep that in mind…but you didn’t answer my question.”

_Damn._

Ethan quietly sighs.

“…No. Nobody waiting at home tonight.”

Reggie comes back, and sits the two freshly mixed drinks on the bar. 

Ethan slides one over to Tyler. “Here, try this.”

Tyler smiles and brings the glass to her lips. She closes her eyes, as to get the full experience of the drink. She pulls the glass away, and pretends to think for a second. 

“It’s amazing!”

Ethan chuckles.

“Either you’re sucking up to me, or you’ve got surprisingly refined taste for an intern.”

Tyler smirks. “I’m surprising in a lot of ways.” 

Ethan can tell she wants to slide her hand over and grab his, but she refrains. It takes a lot for even him to refrain from doing the same. There is something in the air between the two of them, and Ethan is now sure he’s not the only one that feels it. 

“You’ll have to prove that to me, Dr. Bracken.”

He holds up his glass for a toast.

“To your intern year. In the hopes that you don’t completely blow everything you’ve worked your whole life for.”

Tyler raises her eyebrows and smirks again. 

“Morbid, I like it.”

She brings her glass up, and clinks it against his. Tyler downs the whole thing in one gulp, and stands up.

“See you around, Dr. Ramsey,” she says in a flirty way.

He tried to convince himself that that was the alcohol talking, but he figured it only played a small part.

“You will, Dr. Bracken. Good night.”

She walks away, and Ethan of course cannot help but watch her as she does. _Those legs..._

“I’ll be right back, Reggie.” Not that he cared where Ethan was going, but he felt he needed to say it out loud for some reason. Maybe to justify this new, strange, un-Ethan like behavior.

Ethan casually walks to the men’s room, to execute his idea from earlier. He usually tried to avoid the men's room here at Donahue's at all costs - it was always full of younger guys - some vomiting, some trying to sneak a smoke - generally a disgusting place.

His head is spinning as he walks`. It was a combination of the drinks and Tyler, but he was certain it was mostly Tyler. He doesn't dare look around for her - he would almost certainly be tempted to go and talk to her again. 

He chooses the sink closest to the door, and turns the faucet on. Looking at himself in the dirty, water-splattered mirror, he cannot believe what just happened. 

_She’s an intern_ , he kept thinking to himself. _You cannot have anything to do with her. It’s not worth it. It could damage both of our careers. Not to mention, we are practically from two different generations_. He reaches down and splashes the ice-cold tap water onto his face, careful not to get it on his shirt. 

It didn’t help. She was still stuck in his mind, her and that God-forsaken outfit, and her God-forsaken cleavage.

Ethan knew better, though. He knew he was going to have a hard time staying away from Tyler Bracken. 

Shaking his head as to try to literally shake the thoughts out of it, he walks over to the paper towels. Ethan dries his face off gently and heads back over to the bar to pay his tab. When he emerged from the bathroom, Tyler and her friends were gone.

Donahue’s, the place Ethan usually goes for normalcy away from the unknown of the hospital, just threw him a giant curveball. He wasn’t sure what was next, nor did he think he even wanted to know, but he did know that he wanted to learn all about the mysterious Tyler Bracken, despite his better judgment. 


	2. Heartache Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan and Tyler bond over a tragic event involving Ethan's first patient, Dolores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! I've been writing a lot because I've been quarantined. I don't feel like it's my best work, but I ended up liking it the more I read it. I hope you enjoy!

_How is this happening?_

Ethan thinks to himself as he paces the halls of Edenbrook. It was after midnight, so he was mostly alone, besides the occasional overnight nurse passing by. He just got word that his patient-turned-friend, Dolores, passed away from Preeclampsia. It all happened so fast, Ethan still doesn’t quite believe it’s real.

Nevertheless, it was real, and none of this was fair.

Ethan is walking, walking fast, but he’s not really getting anywhere. Walking from one end of the hall to the other. He honestly doesn’t even know what floor he is on, or even what time it is. This is odd for Ethan, as Edenbrook is basically his second home. Tears start to form in his blue eyes.

 _I’ve gotta get somewhere and hide, the last thing I need is stumbling across someone and them seeing me crying_.

Ethan finds the nearest men’s room and hurries to a stall to hide, as silly as he knows it is deep down, his shiny black oxfords clicking on the cold tile floor. He locks the door behind him, and just stands there and cries quietly to himself, his head in his hands. _Dolores had such a life ahead of her, she had so much left to accomplish. She never even got to meet her son…_ This makes Ethan sob a little harder. Despite his hard outer shell, he did have a heart down inside somewhere. But even he was shocked at how upset he was. Usually, he could keep his emotions in check. _Why do bad things always happen to good people?_ He’s a doctor, he should know the answer to that by now. But with Dolores, it was just different. She was more than a patient. Suddenly, he remembered that she actually had her baby, and that he was down in the nursery. Ethan needed to go check the nursery and see if he was okay.

Someone else enters the bathroom. A frustrated and impatient Ethan waits until they are safely inside another stall, and then flushes the toilet, so they wouldn’t suspect he came in there just to cry. Not that they ever would, but that was just Ethan. He even goes to wash his hands to complete the charade, and books it out of there.

Ethan could be a little neurotic at times. He wouldn’t dare have anyone, not even the man that just happened to enter the bathroom that he probably doesn’t even know, catch him in a vulnerable state. After all, he’s Ethan Ramsey, the superhuman, emotionless doctor. He’s been this way his whole life. It’s probably why he hasn’t really had a serious relationship with a woman - no one has really ever wanted to put up with his bullshit.

As Ethan approaches the nursery - he did manage to find it in the midst of his brain fog - he notices Dr. Bracken sitting on the chair next to the baby’s incubator, staring intently at the little one struggling to stay alive.Her presence startled him. After the long day they just had together, her pretty face was etched with fatigue and a little bit of worry, and her hair was all over the place. Her eyes were even a little red like she had been crying. Tyler still looked as beautiful as ever, though. Especially since she was looking over Dolores’ baby. She looked almost angelic.

_Snap out of it, Ethan._

“Dr. Bracken.” Ethan nods in her direction.

Tyler looks up, almost if Ethan’s words pulled her out of a daze.

“Oh…hi, Dr. Ramsey.” She looks nervous, like she was going to get in trouble. “I hope you don’t mind me coming up here. I just had to know if he was okay.”

“Not at all. Do you…mind if I join you?”

Tyler gently pats the seat next to her, offering a comforting smile.

Ethan goes to sit down on the cheap, uncomfortable hospital couch, careful not to sit too close to her.

“He’s doing really well. His sats are all stable, and he looks good,” Tyler fills Ethan in.

He looks over towards the baby. The poor thing, laying there with wires and tubes all over his body, his mother is dead, and his father is MIA. Ethan’s heart breaks a little more.

“That is certainly good news, given the circumstances.”

He tries to maintain his composure. Forget the random guy in the bathroom, he could certainly never show emotion in front of Tyler, of all people. The feeling that he felt at Donahue’s that night - the feeling that Tyler was different than any girl he had ever encountered - it re-emerged earlier in the day when they went on a wild goose chase together for Dolores’s stuffed frog. They bonded over a stuffed frog, for God’s sake. It was somewhat a miracle that he even went on the hunt with her to begin with- normally, he would have nothing to do with such a task. But, again, it was Tyler. The new intern that he’s known for all of two weeks. Despite the somberness of the situation, they managed to share a few laughs and smiles in the car. That smile of hers...it made Ethan’s heart swell. He wants to make her smile all day, every day…

“Dr. Ramsey? Hello?”

Ethan pulls away from his thoughts.

“Yes, Tyler?”

Tyler. He just called her Tyler. _So much for keeping it professional_.

She blinks a few times, clearly surprised that he called her by her first name.

“Um, I was asking you if there was there something I could have done differently to prevent this from happening? So I can make sure to look out in the future?”

Ethan looks at her with an understanding smile.

“Not in this case, no, Dr. Bracken. Once pre-eclampsia becomes eclampsia, it’s very hard to stop the progression. Dolores’s, especially. I’ve never seen a case move as fast as hers did. It's a damn shame. She’s lucky her baby survived.”

Ethan continues.

“As hard as it is, you have to accept the fact that this was a learning experience, painful as it may be, and move on. You can’t let it get to you, since patient losses are not uncommon. I know that you know that. Most of them teach you a lesson, in one way or another. You’ll always remember the first patient that you lose. I still remember mine. He wasn’t much older than I was at the time. It really shook me.”

Tyler nods somberly.

“Thanks, Dr. Ramsey. I witnessed patient deaths during med school rotations, obviously, but none of them were my personal patients. It just hits differently, and I guess I wasn’t really expecting it to happen so soon. I should have known better. And I know she was your friend. I’m really, really sorry.”

Ethan closes his eyes, tears building up again.

Suddenly, he feels a hand in his. A soft, small hand. He doesn’t let go, but grips it tight. Her hand brought him so much comfort. _Why?_

“I’m...I’m sorry...I just saw you crying, and I thought you might need some comfort.” Tyler has her head down and looks embarrassed that she reached for his hand.

Ethan shakes his head and gives her a reassuring smile.

“Thank you for sitting here with me, Dr. Bracken. It feels good to have company, whether I like to admit it or not.”

“She named the baby after you, you know?”

Ethan’s eyes widen, and he looks over to the name card on the incubator. A sense of melancholy rushes over him.

“I….I see that she did. That is quite the honor.”

He stands up abruptly, smoothing the wrinkles out his black slacks and white coat. He walks over to the incubator and sticks his hand through the hole for little Ethan to grab onto. “You fight like hell, little guy. You hear me? Fight for your mom. She would be so proud of you. Another family will take you in and love you. Just hang on.” He stands there for a minute, soaking in the baby. He had always convinced himself that he didn’t ever want kids, but being around a newborn baby was enough for even someone like him to change his mind.

Turning over to Tyler, he notices she had been staring at him the whole time. She had a wistful look on her face. Trying to brush it off, he asks “Would you like some coffee? I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

“I can go get it.” Tyler offers.

“No need. I’ll be right back.”

Ethan goes to the diagnostics office, where he has his secret coffeemaker always on standby. He refuses to drink the “caffeinated dishwater,” as he so famously calls it, from the hospital cafeteria. Another one of his neurotic traits.

He returns to Dr. Bracken, a steaming hot cup in each hand, and offers her one.

She takes it excitedly. “Thank you, Dr. Ramsey. Just what I needed.” She savors every sip.

“That did not taste like the coffee from the cafeteria,” Tyler observed, trying to make some light conversation.

“Well, that might be because it isn’t the coffee from the cafeteria. I refuse to drink that caffeinated dishwater. But, I will never tell my secret.”

“Oh, you refuse?” Tyler laughs. “And, caffeinated dishwater? Really? She gives him a playful look.

“I just told you that I know about a secret stash of top-notch coffee, and all you hear me say is caffeinated dishwater?” Ethan laughs, noticing that the weight of the events of the day is slowly subsiding. “I don’t know how anyone in their right mind can drink that stuff.” He found solace in their banter.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, the coffee at Barnes was way worse. I’d like to see you survive four years of _that_ caffeinated dishwater _.”_

_Is she trying to flirt with me...?_

Now, Ethan’s curiosity was piqued. He took the bait.

“That’s right, you went to Washington St. Louis med school. And graduated at the top of your class, if my memory serves me correctly.”

Tyler beams proudly. “You bet I did. Greatest accomplishment of my life to date. I’ve got plans to top that, though.”

Determined. Ethan liked that. He didn’t like to get personal with anyone, and he most certainly was rarely the one to initiate personal questions, but tonight he couldn’t help himself. He had to know more about her.

“So...are you a midwesterner through and through, or did you just end up in St. Louis?”

 _“_ Kansas City born and raised.” She smiles. “Well, Overland Park, to be specific. I ventured down to the Southern Plains for undergrad, though. University of Oklahoma. My dad went to med school there, so I had no choice to grow up a huge fan.”

Ethan nodded. “I’ve always thought Kansas City was a beautiful city. Don’t know much about Oklahoma, though, except they have a fun NBA team to watch. And before you go on about how you wish you hadn’t gone to a state school, there’s nothing wrong with going to one. Wait, your dad is a doctor, too ?”

“Yeah. He’s an OB-GYN back home. Dr. Steve Bracken. He's a pretty damn good one, too. Must run in the family.” She smiles and pauses for a second, like she was reminiscing about something. “And, for your information, I am not ashamed of my state school. I’m not one of _those_ doctors.” She gives him a jokingly disapproving look.

Tyler continues on.

“Let me guess...you’re from right here in Boston. You totally give off New England vibes.” She gives him the same flirty smile she gave at Donahue’s.

_Oh boy._

“New England vibes? That’s a thing?” Ethan laughs, his genuine one. Her sense of humor made him laugh. That’s a tough feat. “Close. I grew up in Providence, and been in the northeast all my life. Didn't have to go far to go to Hopkins. So yes, I suppose I may have some of these “New England vibes” that you insist exist.”

Tyler is eating this up, her face covered with amusement. “Like, you probably like clam chowder and the Red Sox and the Patriots. You are a little gruff. Oooh, and now I know you drive a Mercedes sedan. Those are the cars of the east coast elite, you know."

Ethan stares at her. “Fine. All of those are true except the Patriots. I don’t care much for football. It’s too on the radar, especially the Patriots. Red Sox and Celtics, and sometimes the Bruins. Also, Mercedes do exist in other parts of the country, you know.”

This girl was funny, witty, charming, beautiful, caring, and much more. Ethan was savoring this conversation and night all he could, because he knew it had to and eventually would come to an end. He could not pursue a relationship with someone who was 10 years his junior, and was an _intern_. And, who was technically one of his subordinates. It wasn’t morally right. But, oh, how he wanted to say screw morals and take her home right then. 

Six hours later, after a long night of conversation (and some flirting, of course he couldn’t stop himself, why did he even think he could) on the nursery couch, Ethan realized they had both fallen asleep there when he woke up to Tyler saying his name.

_Oh, shit. We fell asleep together!_

“Dr. Ramsey? Shouldn’t you be getting to your patients? It’s 8:00. I would have woken you sooner, but I also just woke up. Little Ethan made it through the night, by the way!”

Ethan sits up slowly and rubs his eyes. The memories of the night start coming back to him. Dolores, her baby, Tyler, their conversation about where they were from, their hours of talking and flirting...now, he feels even more of a connection with her. Great. He stayed up talking to an _intern._ In a place where anyone could have easily seen them _._ That is not normal Ethan Ramsey behavior. Working with Tyler was going to be the death of him, but it might not be such a horrible death…


End file.
